dicovering the mystery in the mundane; a sacramental journey

Posts Tagged ‘Costa Rica Mission’

On June 12th 26 people from Fleming Island UMC gathered in Orlando International Airport to jet off to San Jose, Costa Rica in order to jump on a bus and drive 2 hours through the beautiful Costa Rican Rain Forrest in order to arrive in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui. The mission of the week was to be a part of what God was doing in this wonderful community. The people of this community are no different than anywhere else. They celebrate life and they mourn death. They enjoy entertainment, the company of others, and desire to seek a life that is meaningful. There are sinners and saints, the uplifted and the fallen. In short they inhabit all the joys and sufferings of what it is to be human and they seek in many similar ways as we, means to inhabit, escape, and overcome the ways and means of this world. We were not a mission group going to save a people because we can do things better. We were a mission group who set out to participate in the work that God was already doing and as we felt called to do. The challenge I extended to the team that week was to “Open Your Eyes” (Abre Los Ojos) and see God at work in front of you and step in. I am proud to say that our team did just that, and what a wonderful experience it was.

What did we do? Although I will talk about this at more length in other blogs, in short we helped begin the foundations to a much needed medical clinic in the community, continued work on Sanctuary that should be finished by August, and shared stories, crafts, and song, with children in several different churches in the surrounding area.

What did God do? Listen for your self to these testimonies below. And I can truly say without diminishing their stories that it is just the tip of the iceberg as to what God is doing in the lives of the people Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica.